Kamal Ghorui
India’s decision to withdraw its bid to host the 33rd Conference of the Parties (COP33) in 2028 reflects a complex interplay of domestic priorities, diplomatic strategy, and global climate politics. On one hand, hosting the conference offers significant symbolic and strategic value: it elevates a country’s global leadership profile, shapes negotiation agendas, and showcases domestic climate initiatives. By stepping back, India may be perceived as missing an opportunity to assert stronger influence within international climate governance.
At the same time, the move can be seen as pragmatic. Organising such a large event requires significant financial and administrative resources, which may be better directed toward pressing domestic challenges like energy access, infrastructure, and poverty reduction. It also allows India greater flexibility in negotiations, especially in advocating principles like climate equity and “common but differentiated responsibilities.”
This choice also invites a broader reflection on the evolution of climate discourse itself. What was once a peripheral concern tied to “sustainable development” has now become the defining context of all development. Climate change is no longer a siloed issue — it permeates water security, economic stability, social justice, and political decision-making. Every climate crisis is, in essence, a human crisis.
Weather-based disasters
The past five years have been deplorable with regards to weather-based disaster events. These weather extremes are crucial as they will go on to determine long-term climate events. Such events shape the subsequent policymaking in the country. The western Indian coast is not accustomed to cyclonic disasters. But, in 2021, cyclone ‘Tauktae’ was devastating, especially for farmers who are still new to exploring the avenues of renewable energy on their farmlands. It gets worse when they do not have insurance against climate-based disasters. With the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted early warning systems (EWS), knowledge exchange around best practices of resilience-building by the cyclone-prone eastern coastal states will be useful. Cyclone – a climate disaster becomes a water disaster as it’s accompanied with intense rainfall and fierce wind speeds.
Similarly, the Delhi floods over the past few years have been excruciatingly difficult to manage. The 2023 Delhi floods caused a great amount of ordeal – as it was once in a 50-year event. Just a few months apart, October 2023 witnessed extensive loss and damage in Sikkim due to a catastrophic GLOF (Glacial Lake Outburst Flood). Such an event is a result of a warming climate with extensive snowmelt that ultimately leads to a sea-level rise.
In such situations, it is always the downstream areas which get severely impacted, apart from issues of water-sharing coupled with co-riparian rights, if it becomes a matter of transboundary water sharing. These GLOF prone areas have rivers that have some of the highest hydro-electric potential in the world. How these run-of-the-river projects take shape, only time will tell. Toni Morrison in her essay ‘The Site of Memory’ wrote these iconic lines about floods more so in a metaphorical sense, but it holds true even in the context of climate change.
‘ you know, they straightened out the Mississippi River in places, to make room for houses and liveable acreage. Occasionally the river floods these places. ‘Floods’ is the word they use, but in fact it is not flooding; it is remembering. Remembering where it used to be. All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was.’
A climate disaster is a water disaster
If there is so much water available on the planet because of global warming, how is it that people don’t have enough water to drink? A video from drought-prone Nashik district was doing the rounds on social media some time ago, from a place called Borichiwadi where a woman was seen climbing down a deep dry dug well trying to fill her water canister, as other women in the long queue looked on. The aquifer in that region is not getting recharged as a result of groundwater depletion. Drought – a long-term ecological problem is a climate disaster, which in turn is a water disaster.
In a deeply patriarchal society, water is often collected by women, determined by distance travelled and time taken to collect water. As women bear the brunt of feminisation of agriculture, more men tend to migrate for better livelihood options because of debt traps arising out of weather extremes, crop failures and reduced income levels. 2026 World water day’s theme was water and gender, which focussed on how access to water influences gender relations and rights that in turn affects girls and women differently across a host of social indicators and often in unjust ways.
In most cases, more than water unavailability, inaccessibility and inequitable distribution of water is a bigger concern. More than the water crisis, it is a crisis of management. As per world standards, India is a blessed country when it comes to rainfall. Fog harvesting has been in the picture for quite some time now. In India, where the focus largely lies on rainwater harvesting for water-surplus and water deficit areas, fog harvesting is an ingenious solution in coastal and mountainous areas where water is captured from wind-driven fog. It’s an effective climate action solution that might look miniscule, but such solutions are efforts to enhance the integrated water resources management (IWRM).
Water component in government schemes
The Ministry of Jal Shakti that released the 6th census on minor irrigation (MI) schemes in August 2023 reveals that there has been a slight decrease in the aggregate Irrigational Potential Created (IPC) from 89.52 million ha in the 5th census to 88.84 million ha in the 6th census. On the other hand, the irrigation potential utilized (IPU) to irrigation potential created (IPC) increased from 79.7% in the 5th MI census to 85.1% in the 6th MI census, indicating a better utilization of the available irrigation potential.
Similarly, the Amrit Sarovar Mission is well-intentioned with rejuvenation of ponds. It has a ‘whole of government’ approach with the involvement of multiple ministries viz., rural development, Jal Shakti, Culture, Panchayati Raj, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, etc. This scheme lays focus on planting native tree species along with generating livelihood opportunities where water is a cross-cutting issue.
Furthermore, this mission works across every district of the country through the convergence of various schemes like MGNREGA, 15th FC grants, PMKSY schemes such as watershed development component, ‘Hark khet ko pani’, besides a state’s individual schemes. The soil and silt excavated from the water bodies will be used to enhance infrastructure development. Thus, it comes across as a nature-based solution more at an ecosystem level catering to grassroots development, network governance and circular economy.
Water bankruptcy is the new reality in a changing climate and changing world order. It’s visible everywhere – sometimes through long term climate projections, through early warnings, through before & after images or even through oral history. The climate problem cannot be solved in isolation, it needs integration. Government schemes have some promising results to offer, yet the looming water crisis demands a holistic ecosystem-based approach involving system dynamics.
With AI based monitoring, that lays a special focus on climate smart solutions, it is worth noting that most of the data centres in India are in geographies that have well-established supply chain logistics but are in perennially water-parched zones, which again is an indication how water gets diverted and for whom. This will have long term implications and could be an interesting research point to look at as to how a ‘normal’ monsoon or ‘below normal’ monsoon year impacts the functioning of these data centres, as AI itself is a water-intensive industry.
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